From
The Desk Of Clarence Bass

If you enjoy and benefit from our website and products,
tell your friends.

Surpassing Great Expectations

Our Weekend with Carol and Clarence Bass

This past July (2009), my son Joshua and I (see Success Stories 10 & 11:
http://www.cbass.com/success_stories10.htm ) made our way to Albuquerque to
spend the weekend with Carol and Clarence Bass. Joshua was about as excited as
he could be because he’d read most of Clarence’s books and now he was going to
meet “Mr. Ripped” in the flesh. What I found most gratifying was that Clarence
seemed as excited as Joshua. They hit it off right away. From the moment
Clarence asked, “How much are you weighing these days?” Joshua knew he was in
for a weekend filled with advice, instruction, and information; information that
he could never get from a book or from his old man. Imagine, spending time with
someone who has over 50 years of experience managing training and dietary
practices to produce optimal results! That, coupled with Clarence’s encyclopedic
knowledge of bodybuilding and its history, made for an incredible, once in a
lifetime experience.

From the moment we arrived at Ripped Enterprises (their office/gym facility),
Carol and Clarence made us feel like family. During our tour of the gym, with
the staggering array of machines and free weights that Clarence has collected
over the years, Clarence said, “We’ll workout Sunday, Joshua. I hope you don’t
put me to shame!” Joshua smiled though I could tell he was overwhelmed trying to
take in the variety of exercise equipment (Clarence’s gym is not your typical
franchise “fitness center”). Not to mention the walls that were strewn with
posters and photos (many autographed) of bodybuilding legends such as Cory
Everson, Serge Nubret, Tom Platz, Frank Zane, Mike Mentzer, Dorian Yates, and
Bill Pearl. Seeing the sheer joy on Joshua’s face brought to mind the scene from
Kevin Costner’s film “Field of Dreams” (“Is this heaven? No it’s Clarence’s
gym.”).

What intrigued me most about our visit, since, unlike Joshua, I am not seeking
mega-muscles, was to learn, firsthand, about the way Clarence and Carol
orchestrate their healthy eating. While Clarence’s books do an excellent job of
describing, in great detail, the specifics of his dietary practices, there’s
nothing like watching him prepare his famous Naturally More™ peanut
butter sandwiches or his amazingly satisfying breakfast cereal, choc-full of
whole grains and frozen fruits and vegetables. Even Joshua, who consumes about
as much fuel as a blast furnace, had trouble finishing his breakfast each
morning.

At about mid-day on Saturday, we made our way to Clarence’s Concept 2 Rower for
a session of intense aerobic interval training. Clarence, as you might know, has
competed in online international competition on the Concept 2 and is an elite
class for his age. He patiently showed Joshua how to perform the coordinated
movements required to row safely and effectively. After a few minutes, Clarence
said, “It’s a good thing you’re just learning this, Joshua. If you had a week or
so to practice, I’d have no chance against you.”

Clarence, who meticulously documents each of his workouts so he can monitor
progress and set realistic goals for himself, performed 5 progressively harder
60 second intervals sandwiched between 90 second bouts of leisure rowing. Each
of the minute-long intervals was a little better than the previous one. In other
words, the work became harder, not easier, as the workout progressed. Joshua
performed the same protocol as Clarence and did very well, although he didn’t
pace himself properly—his middle reps were too fast, faster than Clarence—so his
last 60 second interval was a bit slower than Clarence’s. I think Clarence was
genuinely impressed. He said to me, “You ought to consider getting a Concept 2.
Joshua clearly has the ability to become very good at this.”

Carol took Joshua and me on a tour of Albuquerque, even showing us where
Clarence was nearly killed some years ago when an absent minded driver turned in
front of him as he biked down a hill (Clarence doesn’t bike on the street anymore). When I
mentioned how focused and rigorously logical Clarence is, she said, “Well,
Clarence is fast-twitch and I’m slow twitch.” I think she was referring to his
tendency to continually challenge himself, while she is more easy-going.
However, Carol is no slouch when it comes to fitness. She lifts weights and
hikes the hills and mountains behind their home several times a week and as
Clarence says, “Carol eats even healthier than I do.”

On Sunday, after a nice hour-long walk with Carol in the pleasant dry heat of
Albuquerque, we each ate a Tiger’s Milk Nutrition Bar and drove with Clarence to
Ripped Enterprises for a weight training workout. Clarence works the whole body
in these sessions. He uses mostly compound movements so he engages as much
muscle as possible as efficiently as possible. After a few minutes of warm-up
and gentle stretching, Clarence said, “Joshua, you probably won’t need to do
these now, but as you get older I think you’ll find that a general warm-up helps
get you ready to train mentally and physically and helps prevent injuries.”

Because Joshua has generally used only exercise machines, he was unfamiliar with
how to perform exercises such as the dumbbell row and the dumbbell bench press.
Clarence had the patience of a saint as he repeatedly showed Joshua how to
properly angle his hips and spine to perform the rows safely. Joshua also
performed pullovers on Clarence’s vintage Nautilus Pullover Machine—Clarence and
Carol flew to Florida in the mid-70s and bought their first Nautilus machine
directly from the inventor, Arthur Jones. Perhaps the absolute highlight was
when Clarence showed Joshua how to perform cable crossovers in just such a way
as to maximize their effectiveness.

Both Clarence and Joshua worked out with an intensity that goes a long way
toward explaining why they both have such impressive physiques. There was no
quit in either of them; always trying to squeeze that last ounce of effort from
their bodies and minds.

After the workout, it was time for a well-earned big bowl of Clarence’s
post-workout oatmeal. It consisted of Bill Pearl’s Champions Choice High Protein
Oatmeal topped with walnuts, mixed berries, and skim milk.

After this feast, we were off to the airport to return to Baltimore armed with
new knowledge and memories that will last a lifetime. On the flight home, I
reflected on everything we experienced in such a short time. What struck me most
is that every moment we spent with Carol and Clarence was devoted to helping
Joshua get the utmost from the experience. I know that the insights Joshua
acquired with regard to healthy eating, safe, effective training, goal setting,
and the importance of critically evaluating every aspect of one’s training will
hold him in good stead as he continues to embrace all that a healthy, active
lifestyle has to offer.